historipediaofficialwikiaorg-20200216-history
January 15
Events * AD 69 – Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself Emperor of Rome, but rules for only three months before committing suicide. *1541 – King Francis I of France gives Jean-François Roberval a commission to settle the province of New France (Canada) and provide for the spread of the "Holy Catholic faith". *1559 – Elizabeth I is crowned Queen of England in Westminster Abbey, London, England. *1582 – Truce of Yam-Zapolsky: Russia cedes Livonia to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. *1759 – The British Museum opens. *1777 – American Revolutionary War: New Connecticut (present-day Vermont) declares its independence. *1782 – Superintendent of Finance Robert Morris goes before the U.S. Congress to recommend establishment of a national mint and decimal coinage. *1815 – War of 1812: American frigate , commanded by Commodore Stephen Decatur, is captured by a squadron of four British frigates. *1818 – A paper by David Brewster is read to the Royal Society, belatedly announcing his discovery of what we now call the biaxial class of doubly-refracting crystals. On the same day, Augustin-Jean Fresnel signs a "supplement" (submitted four days later) on reflection of polarized light. *1822 – Greek War of Independence: Demetrios Ypsilantis is elected president of the legislative assembly. *1844 – University of Notre Dame receives its charter from the state of Indiana. *1865 – American Civil War: Fort Fisher in North Carolina falls to the Union, thus cutting off the last major seaport of the Confederacy. *1867 – Forty people died when ice covering the boating lake at Regents Park, London, collapsed. *1870 – A political cartoon for the first time symbolizes the Democratic Party with a donkey ("A Live Jackass Kicking a Dead Lion" by Thomas Nast for Harper's Weekly). *1876 – The first newspaper in Afrikaans, Die Afrikaanse Patriot, is published in Paarl. *1889 – The Coca-Cola Company, then known as the Pemberton Medicine Company, is incorporated in Atlanta. *1892 – James Naismith publishes the rules of basketball. *1908 – The Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority becomes the first Greek-letter organization founded and established by African American college women. *1910 – Construction ends on the Buffalo Bill Dam in Wyoming, United States, which was the highest dam in the world at the time, at . *1919 – Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, two of the most prominent socialists in Germany, are tortured and murdered by the Freikorps at the end of the Spartacist uprising. *1919 – Great Molasses Flood: A wave of molasses released from an exploding storage tank sweeps through Boston, Massachusetts, killing 21 and injuring 150. * 1934 – The 8.0 Nepal–Bihar earthquake strikes Nepal and Bihar with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing an estimated 6,000–10,700 people. *1936 – The first building to be completely covered in glass, built for the Owens-Illinois Glass Company, is completed in Toledo, Ohio. *1937 – Spanish Civil War: Nationalists and Republican both withdraw after suffering heavy losses, ending the Second Battle of the Corunna Road. *1943 – World War II: The Soviet counter-offensive at Voronezh begins. * 1943 – The Pentagon is dedicated in Arlington, Virginia. *1947 – The Black Dahlia murder: the dismembered corpse of Elizabeth Short was found in Los Angeles. *1949 – Chinese Civil War: The Communist forces take over Tianjin from the Nationalist Government. *1962 – The Derveni papyrus, Europe's oldest surviving manuscript dating to 340 BC, is found in northern Greece. * 1962 – Netherlands New Guinea Conflict: Indonesian Navy fast patrol boat RI Macan Tutul commanded by Commodore Yos Sudarso sunk in Arafura Sea by the Dutch Navy. *1966 – The First Nigerian Republic, led by Abubakar Tafawa Balewa is overthrown in a military coup d'état. *1967 – The first Super Bowl is played in Los Angeles. The Green Bay Packers defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 35–10. *1969 – The Soviet Union launches Soyuz 5. *1970 – Nigerian Civil War: Biafran rebels surrender following an unsuccessful 32-month fight for independence from Nigeria. * 1970 – Muammar Gaddafi is proclaimed premier of Libya. *1973 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, President Richard Nixon announces the suspension of offensive action in North Vietnam. *1975 – The Alvor Agreement is signed, ending the Angolan War of Independence and giving Angola independence from Portugal. *1976 – Gerald Ford's would-be assassin, Sara Jane Moore, is sentenced to life in prison. *1981 – Pope John Paul II receives a delegation from Solidarity (Polish trade union) at the Vatican led by Lech Wałęsa. *1991 – The United Nations deadline for the withdrawal of Iraqi forces from occupied Kuwait expires, preparing the way for the start of Operation Desert Storm. * 1991 – Elizabeth II, in her capacity as Queen of Australia, signs letters patent allowing Australia to become the first Commonwealth realm to institute its own Victoria Cross in its honours system. *2001 – Wikipedia, a free wiki content encyclopedia, goes online. *2005 – ESA's SMART-1 lunar orbiter discovers elements such as calcium, aluminum, silicon, iron, and other surface elements on the Moon. *2007 – Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, former Iraqi intelligence chief and half-brother of Saddam Hussein, and Awad Hamed al-Bandar, former chief judge of the Revolutionary Court, are executed by hanging in Iraq. *2009 – US Airways Flight 1549 ditches safely in the Hudson River after the plane collides with birds several minutes after take-off. *2013 – A train carrying Egyptian Army recruits derails near Giza, Greater Cairo, killing 19 and injuring 120 others. *2015 - The Swiss National Bank abandons the cap on the franc's value relative to the euro, causing turmoil in international financial markets *2016 – The Kenyan Army suffers it worst defeat ever in a battle with Al-Shabaab Islamic insurgents in El-Adde, Somalia. An estimated 150 soldiers die. Births * 961 – Seongjong of Goryeo, Korean ruler (d. 997) *1432 – Afonso V of Portugal (d. 1481) *1462 – Edzard I, Count of East Frisia, German noble (d. 1528) *1481 – Ashikaga Yoshizumi, Japanese shogun (d. 1511) *1538 – Maeda Toshiie, Japanese general (d. 1599) *1595 – Henry Carey, 2nd Earl of Monmouth, English politician (d. 1661) *1622 – Molière, French actor and playwright (d. 1673) *1623 – Algernon Sidney, British philosopher (d. 1683) *1671 – Abraham de la Pryme, English archaeologist and historian (d. 1704) *1674 – Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon, French poet and playwright (d. 1762) *1716 – Philip Livingston, American merchant and politician (d. 1778) *1747 – John Aikin, English surgeon and author (d. 1822) *1754 – Richard Martin, Irish activist and politician, co-founded the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (d. 1834) *1791 – Franz Grillparzer, Austrian author, poet, and playwright (d. 1872) *1795 – Alexander Griboyedov, Russian playwright, composer, and poet (d. 1829) *1803 – Marjorie Fleming, Scottish poet and author (d. 1811) *1809 – Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, French economist and politician (d. 1865) *1812 – Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Norwegian author and scholar (d. 1885) *1815 – William Bickerton, English-American religious leader, 3rd President of the Church of Jesus Christ (d. 1905) *1834 – Samuel Arza Davenport, American lawyer and politician (d. 1911) *1841 – Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby, English captain and politician, 6th Governor General of Canada (d. 1908) *1842 – Josef Breuer, Austrian physician and psychiatrist (d. 1925) * 1842 – Mary MacKillop, Australian nun and saint, co-founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart (d. 1909) *1850 – Leonard Darwin, English soldier, eugenicist, and politician (d. 1943) * 1850 – Mihai Eminescu, Romanian journalist, author, and poet (d. 1889) * 1850 – Sofia Kovalevskaya, Russian-Swedish mathematician and physicist (d. 1891) *1855 – Jacques Damala, Greek-French soldier and actor (d. 1889) *1858 – Giovanni Segantini, Austrian painter (d. 1899) *1859 – Archibald Peake, English-Australian politician, 25th Premier of South Australia (d. 1920) *1863 – Wilhelm Marx, German lawyer and politician, 17th Chancellor of Germany (d. 1946) *1866 – Nathan Söderblom, Swedish archbishop, historian, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1931) *1869 – Ruby Laffoon, American lawyer and politician, 43rd Governor of Kentucky (d. 1941) * 1869 – Stanisław Wyspiański, Polish poet, playwright, and painter (d. 1907) *1870 – Pierre S. du Pont, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1954) *1872 – Arsen Kotsoyev, Russian author and translator (d. 1944) *1875 – Thomas Burke, American sprinter, coach, and journalist (d. 1929) *1877 – Lewis Terman, American psychologist, eugenicist, and academic (d. 1956) *1878 – Johanna Müller-Hermann, Austrian composer (d. 1941) *1879 – Mazo de la Roche, Canadian author and playwright (d. 1961) *1882 – Henry Burr, Canadian singer, radio performer, and producer (d. 1941) *1885 – Lorenz Böhler, Austrian physician and author (d. 1973) * 1885 – Grover Lowdermilk, American baseball player (d. 1968) *1890 – Michiaki Kamada, Japanese admiral (d. 1947) *1891 – Ray Chapman, American baseball player (d. 1920) * 1891 – Osip Mandelstam, Russian poet and translator (d. 1938) *1893 – Ivor Novello, Welsh singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1951) *1895 – Artturi Ilmari Virtanen, Finnish chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1973) *1896 – Marjorie Bennett, Australian-American actress (d. 1982) *1902 – Nâzım Hikmet, Greek-Turkish author, poet, and playwright (d. 1963) * 1902 – Saud of Saudi Arabia (d. 1969) *1903 – Paul A. Dever, American lieutenant and politician, 58th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1958) *1907 – Janusz Kusociński, Polish runner and soldier (d. 1940) *1908 – Edward Teller, Hungarian-American physicist and academic (d. 2003) *1909 – Jean Bugatti, German-French engineer (d. 1939) * 1909 – Gene Krupa, American drummer, composer, and actor (d. 1973) *1912 – Michel Debré, French lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1996) *1913 – Eugène Brands, Dutch painter (d. 2002) * 1913 – Lloyd Bridges, American actor (d. 1998) * 1913 – Miriam Hyde, Australian pianist and composer (d. 2005) * 1913 – Alexander Marinesko, Ukrainian-Russian lieutenant (d. 1963) *1914 – Stefan Bałuk, Polish general (d. 2014) * 1914 – Hugh Trevor-Roper, English historian and academic (d. 2003) *1917 – K. A. Thangavelu, Indian film actor and comedian (d. 1994) *1918 – João Figueiredo, Brazilian general and politician, 30th President of Brazil (d. 1999) * 1918 – Édouard Gagnon, Canadian cardinal (d. 2007) * 1918 – Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egyptian colonel and politician, 2nd President of Egypt (d. 1970) *1919 – Maurice Herzog, French mountaineer and politician, French Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports (d. 2012) * 1919 – George Cadle Price, Belizean politician, 1st Prime Minister of Belize (d. 2011) *1920 – Steve Gromek, American baseball player (d. 2002) * 1920 – John O'Connor, American cardinal (d. 2000) *1921 – Babasaheb Bhosale, Indian lawyer and politician, 8th Chief Minister of Maharashtra (d. 2007) * 1921 – Frank Thornton, English actor (d. 2013) *1922 – Eric Willis, Australian sergeant and politician, 34th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1999) *1923 – Ivor Cutler, Scottish pianist, songwriter, and poet (d. 2006) * 1923 – Lee Teng-hui, Taiwanese-Chinese economist and politician, 4th President of the Republic of China *1924 – George Lowe, New Zealand-English mountaineer and explorer (d. 2013) *1925 – Ruth Slenczynska, American pianist and composer * 1925 – Ignacio López Tarso, Mexican actor *1926 – Maria Schell, Austrian-Swiss actress (d. 2005) *1927 – Phyllis Coates, American actress *1928 – W. R. Mitchell, English journalist and author (d. 2015) *1929 – Earl Hooker, American guitarist (d. 1970) * 1929 – Martin Luther King, Jr., American minister and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1968) *1930 – Eddie Graham, American wrestler and promoter (d. 1985) *1931 – Lee Bontecou, American painter and sculptor *1932 – Lou Jones, American sprinter (d. 2006) *1933 – Frank Bough, English journalist and radio host * 1933 – Ernest J. Gaines, American author and academic * 1933 – Peter Maitlis, English chemist and academic *1934 – V. S. Ramadevi, Indian civil servant and politician, 13th Governor of Karnataka (d. 2013) *1937 – Margaret O'Brien, American actress and singer *1938 – Ashraf Aman, Pakistani engineer and mountaineer * 1938 – Estrella Blanca, Mexican wrestler * 1938 – Chuni Goswami, Indian footballer and cricketer *1939 – Per Ahlmark, Swedish journalist and politician, 1st Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden * 1939 – Tony Bullimore, British sailor *1941 – Captain Beefheart, American singer-songwriter, musician, and artist (d. 2010) *1942 – Frank Joseph Polozola, American academic and judge (d. 2013) *1943 – George Ambrum, Australian rugby league player (d. 1986) * 1943 – Margaret Beckett, English metallurgist and politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs * 1943 – Stuart E. Eizenstat, American lawyer and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the European Union * 1943 – Mike Marshall, American baseball player *1944 – Jenny Nimmo, English author *1945 – Ko Chun-hsiung, Taiwanese actor, director, and politician (d. 2015) * 1945 – Vince Foster, American lawyer and political figure (d. 1993) * 1945 – William R. Higgins, American colonel (d. 1990) * 1945 – Princess Michael of Kent * 1945 – David Pleat, English footballer, manager, and sportscaster *1946 – Charles Brown, American actor (d. 2004) *1947 – Mary Hogg, English lawyer and judge * 1947 – Andrea Martin, American-Canadian actress, singer, and screenwriter *1948 – Ronnie Van Zant, American singer-songwriter (d. 1977) *1949 – Luis Alvarado, Puerto Rican-American baseball player (d. 2001) * 1949 – Alasdair Liddell, English businessman (d. 2012) * 1949 – Ian Stewart, Scottish runner * 1949 – Howard Twitty, American golfer *1950 – Marius Trésor, French footballer and coach *1952 – Boris Blank, Swiss singer-songwriter * 1952 – Andrzej Fischer, Polish footballer *1953 – Randy White, American football player *1954 – Jose Dalisay, Jr., Filipino poet, author, and screenwriter *1955 – Nigel Benson, English author and illustrator * 1955 – Andreas Gursky, German photographer * 1955 – Khalid Islambouli, Egyptian lieutenant (d. 1982) *1956 – Vitaly Kaloyev, Russian architect * 1956 – Mayawati, Indian educator and politician, 23rd Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh * 1956 – Marc Trestman, American football player and coach *1957 – David Ige, American politician * 1957 – Marty Lyons, American football player and sportscaster * 1957 – Andrew Tyrie, English journalist and politician * 1957 – Mario Van Peebles, American actor and director *1958 – Ken Judge, Australian footballer and coach (d. 2016) * 1958 – Boris Tadić, Serbian psychologist and politician, 16th President of Serbia *1959 – Greg Dowling, Australian rugby league player * 1959 – Pavle Kozjek, Slovenian mountaineer and photographer (d. 2008) * 1959 – Pete Trewavas, English bass player and songwriter *1961 – Serhiy N. Morozov, Ukrainian footballer and coach * 1961 – Yves Pelletier, Canadian actor and director *1963 – Conrad Lant, English singer-songwriter and bass player * 1963 – Bruce Schneier, American cryptographer and author *1964 – Osmo Tapio Räihälä, Finnish composer *1965 – Maurizio Fondriest, Italian cyclist * 1965 – Bernard Hopkins, American boxer and coach * 1965 – James Nesbitt, Northern Irish actor *1966 – Lisa Lisa, American R&B singer *1967 – Ted Tryba, American golfer *1968 – Chad Lowe, American actor, director, and producer *1969 – Delino DeShields, American baseball player and manager *1970 – Shane McMahon, American wrestler and businessman *1971 – Regina King, American actress *1972 – Shelia Burrell, American heptathlete * 1972 – Christos Kostis, Greek footballer * 1972 – Claudia Winkleman, English journalist and critic *1973 – Essam El-Hadary, Egyptian footballer *1973 – Suparno Satpathy, Indian socio-political leader *1974 – Séverine Deneulin, international development academic * 1974 – Ray King, American baseball player *1975 – Mary Pierce, Canadian-American tennis player and coach *1976 – Doug Gottlieb, American basketball player and sportscaster * 1976 – Iryna Lishchynska, Ukrainian runner * 1976 – Scott Murray, Scottish rugby player * 1976 – Florentin Petre, Romanian footballer and manager *1978 – Eddie Cahill, American actor * 1978 – Franco Pellizotti, Italian cyclist * 1978 – Ryan Sidebottom, English cricketer *1979 – Drew Brees, American football player * 1979 – Michalis Morfis, Cypriot footballer * 1979 – Martin Petrov, Bulgarian footballer *1980 – Matt Holliday, American baseball player *1981 – El Hadji Diouf, Senegalese football player *1981 – Pitbull, American rapper and producer * 1981 – Dylan Armstrong, Canadian shot putter and hammer thrower * 1981 – Vanessa Henke, German tennis player * 1981 – Sean Lamont, Scottish rugby player *1982 – Benjamin Agosto, American skater * 1982 – Armando Galarraga, Venezuelan baseball player * 1982 – Brett Lebda, American ice hockey player * 1982 – Ari Pulkkinen, Finnish pianist and composer * 1982 – Francis Zé, Cameroonian footballer *1983 – Jermaine Pennant, English footballer * 1983 – Hugo Viana, Portuguese footballer *1984 – Ben Shapiro, American author and columnist *1985 – René Adler, German footballer * 1985 – Enrico Patrizio, Italian rugby player * 1985 – Kenneth Emil Petersen, Danish footballer *1986 – Fred Davis, American football player *1987 – Greg Inglis, Australian rugby league player * 1987 – Tsegaye Kebede, Ethiopian runner * 1987 – David Knight, English footballer * 1987 – Barbara Blank, American model and former professional wrestler * 1987 – Michael Seater, Canadian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter *1988 – Daniel Caligiuri, German footballer * 1988 – Skrillex, American DJ and producer *1989 – Alexei Cherepanov, Russian ice hockey player (d. 2008) *1990 – Paul Blake, English sprinter * 1990 – Fernando Forestieri, Italian footballer * 1990 – Robert Trznadel, Polish footballer *1991 – Marc Bartra, Spanish footballer * 1991 – Nicolai Jørgensen, Danish footballer * 1991 – Darya Klishina, Russian long jumper * 1991 – James Mitchell, Australian basketball player *1992 – Joshua King, Norwegian footballer *1994 – Jordy Croux, Belgian footballer * 1994 – Eric Dier, English footballer *1995 – Liam Knight, Australian rugby league player *2004 – Grace VanderWaal, American singer Deaths * AD 69 – Galba, Roman emperor (b. 3 BC) * 348 – Chak Tok Ich'aak I, Mayan ruler (b. 475) * 570 – Íte of Killeedy, Irish nun and saint (b. 475) * 849 – Theophylact, Byzantine emperor (b. 793) * 936 – Rudolph of France (b. 880) * 950 – Wang Jingchong, Chinese general *1149 – Berengaria of Barcelona, queen consort of Castile (b. 1116) *1568 – Nicolaus Olahus, Romanian archbishop (b. 1493) *1569 – Catherine Carey, lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth I of England (b. 1524) *1584 – Martha Leijonhufvud, Swedish noblewoman (b. 1520) *1595 – Murad III, Ottoman Sultan (b. 1546) *1623 – Paolo Sarpi, Italian lawyer, historian, and scholar (b. 1552) *1672 – John Cosin, English bishop and academic (b. 1594) *1683 – Philip Warwick, English politician (b. 1609) *1775 – Giovanni Battista Sammartini, Italian organist and composer (b. 1700) *1790 – John Landen, English mathematician and theorist (b. 1719) *1804 – Dru Drury, English entomologist and author (b. 1725) *1813 – Anton Bernolák, Slovak linguist and priest (b. 1762) *1815 – Emma, Lady Hamilton, English-French mistress of Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson (b. 1761) *1855 – Henri Braconnot, French chemist and pharmacist (b. 1780) *1859 – King Stanislaus III Albert (b. 1795) *1864 – Isaac Nathan, English-Australian composer and journalist (b. 1792) *1866 – Massimo d'Azeglio, Piedmontese-Italian statesman, novelist and painter (b. 1798) *1876 – Eliza McCardle Johnson, American wife of Andrew Johnson, 18th First Lady of the United States (b. 1810) *1885 – Leopold Damrosch, German-American composer and conductor (b. 1832) *1893 – Fanny Kemble, English actress (b. 1809) *1896 – Mathew Brady, American photographer and journalist (b. 1822) *1905 – George Thorn, Australian politician, 6th Premier of Queensland (b. 1838) *1909 – Arnold Janssen, German priest and missionary (b. 1837) *1916 – Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Russian playwright and translator (b. 1850) *1919 – Karl Liebknecht, German politician (b. 1871) * 1919 – Rosa Luxemburg, German economist, theorist, and philosopher (b. 1871) *1926 – Enrico Toselli, Italian pianist and composer (b. 1883) *1929 – George Cope, American painter (b. 1855) *1936 – Henry Forster, 1st Baron Forster, English cricketer and politician, 7th Governor-General of Australia (b. 1866) *1937 – Anton Holban, Romanian author, theoretician, and educator (b. 1902) *1945 – Wilhelm Wirtinger, Austrian-German mathematician and theorist (b. 1865) *1948 – Josephus Daniels, American publisher and diplomat, 41st United States Secretary of the Navy (b. 1862) *1950 – Henry H. Arnold, American general (b. 1886) *1951 – Ernest Swinton, British Army officer (b. 1868) * 1951 – Nikolai Vekšin, Estonian-Russian captain and sailor (b. 1887) *1952 – Ned Hanlon, Australian sergeant and politician, 26th Premier of Queensland (b. 1887) *1955 – Yves Tanguy, French-American painter (b. 1900) *1959 – Regina Margareten, Hungarian businesswoman (b. 1863) *1964 – Jack Teagarden, American singer-songwriter and trombonist (b. 1905) *1967 – David Burliuk, Ukrainian author and illustrator (b. 1882) *1968 – Bill Masterton, Canadian-American ice hockey player (b. 1938) *1970 – Frank Clement, English race car driver (b. 1886) * 1970 – William T. Piper, American engineer and businessman, founded Piper Aircraft (b. 1881) *1972 – Daisy Ashford, English author (b. 1881) *1973 – Coleman Francis, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1919) * 1973 – Ivan Petrovsky, Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1901) *1974 – Harold D. Cooley, American lawyer and politician (b. 1897) *1981 – Graham Whitehead, English race car driver (b. 1922) *1982 – Red Smith, American journalist (b. 1905) *1983 – Armin Öpik, Estonian-Australian paleontologist and geologist (b. 1898) * 1983 – Shepperd Strudwick, American actor (b. 1907) *1984 – Fazıl Küçük, Cypriot journalist and politician (b. 1906) *1987 – Ray Bolger, American actor, singer, and dancer (b. 1904) *1988 – Seán MacBride, Irish republican activist and politician, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904) *1990 – Gordon Jackson, Scottish-English actor (b. 1923) * 1990 – Peggy van Praagh, English ballerina, choreographer, and director (b. 1910) *1993 – Sammy Cahn, American songwriter (b. 1913) *1994 – Georges Cziffra, Hungarian-French pianist and composer (b. 1921) * 1994 – Harry Nilsson, American singer-songwriter (b. 1941) * 1994 – Harilal Upadhyay, Indian author, poet, and astrologist (b. 1916) *1996 – Les Baxter, American pianist and composer (b. 1922) * 1996 – Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho (b. 1938) *1998 – Gulzarilal Nanda, Indian economist and politician, Prime Minister of India (b. 1898) *1998 – Junior Wells, American singer-songwriter and harmonica player (b. 1934) *1999 – Betty Box, English composer and producer (b. 1915) *2000 – Georges-Henri Lévesque, Canadian-Dominican priest and sociologist (b. 1903) *2001 – Leo Marks, English cryptographer, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1920) *2002 – Michael Anthony Bilandic, American politician, 49th Mayor of Chicago (b. 1923) * 2002 – Eugène Brands, Dutch painter (b. 1913) *2003 – Doris Fisher, American singer-songwriter (b. 1915) *2004 – Olivia Goldsmith, American author (b. 1949) *2005 – Victoria de los Ángeles, Spanish soprano and actress (b. 1923) * 2005 – Walter Ernsting, German author (b. 1920) * 2005 – Elizabeth Janeway, American author and critic (b. 1913) * 2005 – Ruth Warrick, American actress (b. 1916) *2006 – Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti ruler (b. 1926) *2007 – Awad Hamed al-Bandar, Iraqi lawyer and judge (b. 1945) * 2007 – Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, Iraqi intelligence officer (b. 1951) * 2007 – James Hillier, Canadian-American computer scientist and academic, co-invented the electron microscope (b. 1915) * 2007 – Pura Santillan-Castrence, Filipino educator and diplomat (b. 1905) * 2007 – Bo Yibo, Chinese commander and politician, Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China (b. 1908) *2008 – Robert V. Bruce, American historian, author, and academic (b. 1923) * 2008 – Brad Renfro, American actor (b. 1982) *2009 – Lincoln Verduga Loor, Ecuadorian journalist and politician (b. 1917) *2011 – Nat Lofthouse, English footballer and manager (b. 1925) * 2011 – Pierre Louis-Dreyfus, French soldier, race car driver, and businessman (b. 1908) * 2011 – Susannah York, English actress and activist (b. 1939) *2012 – Ed Derwinski, American soldier and politician, 1st United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs (b. 1926) * 2012 – Manuel Fraga Iribarne, Spanish lawyer and politician, 3rd President of the Xunta of Galicia (b. 1922) * 2012 – Carlo Fruttero, Italian journalist and author (b. 1926) * 2012 – Samuel Jaskilka, American general (b. 1919) * 2012 – Ib Spang Olsen, Danish author and illustrator (b. 1921) * 2012 – Hulett C. Smith, American lieutenant and politician, 27th Governor of West Virginia (b. 1918) *2013 – Nagisa Oshima, Japanese director and screenwriter (b. 1932) * 2013 – John Thomas, American high jumper (b. 1941) *2014 – Curtis Bray, American football player and coach (b. 1970) * 2014 – John Dobson, Chinese-American astronomer and author (b. 1915) * 2014 – Roger Lloyd-Pack, English actor (b. 1944) *2015 – Ervin Drake, American songwriter and composer (b. 1919) * 2015 – Kim Fowley, American singer-songwriter, producer, and manager (b. 1939) * 2015 – Ray Nagel, American football player and coach (b. 1927) *2016 – Francisco X. Alarcón, American poet and educator (b. 1954) * 2016 – Ken Judge, Australian footballer and coach (b. 1958) * 2016 – Manuel Velázquez, Spanish footballer (b. 1943) *2017 – Jimmy Snuka, Fijian professional wrestler (b. 1943) *2018 – Dolores O'Riordan, Irish pop singer (b. 1971) Holidays and observances *Arbor Day (Egypt) *Armed Forces Day (Nigeria) *Army Day (India) *Christian feast day: **Abeluzius (Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church) **Arnold Janssen **Francis Ferdinand de Capillas (one of Martyr Saints of China) **Ita **Macarius of Egypt (Western Christianity) **Maurus and Placidus (Order of Saint Benedict) **Paul the Hermit **January 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) *Earliest day on which International Fetish Day can fall, while January 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Friday in January. *Earliest day on which Martin Luther King Jr. Day can fall, while January 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday in January. (United States) *Earliest day on which Sinulog Festival can fall, while January 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Sunday in January. (Philippines) *John Chilembwe Day (Malawi) *Korean Alphabet Day (North Korea) *Ocean Duty Day (Indonesia) *Sagichō at Tsurugaoka Hachimangū. (Kamakura, Japan) *Teacher's Day (Venezuela) *The second day of the sidereal winter solstice festivals in India (see January 14): **Thai Pongal, Tamil harvest festival External links * BBC: On This Day * * Today in Canadian History Category:Days of the year Category:January